| | | How to Lead With Purpose
Thinking Beyond the Bottom Line
To win in business takes much more than a truly awesome product and great marketing. It all starts with your team. When they are passionate about their jobs and love what they're doing, your company is filled with a vibe that attracts customers, other outstanding team members and sales.
The key to creating this kind of atmosphere is purpose. When your team feels like what they do matters, there will be a significant shift to a winning environment. As best-selling business author Malcolm Gladwell says, "Hard work is a prison cell only if the work has no meaning."
So how do you transfer the feeling to your team that they're doing something important? The following steps will get you started on leading with purpose.
1. What's Your Company's Mission?
The easiest way to let your team and others know that you are doing work that matters is through your mission statement. In just a few words, according to leading mission-statement researcher Christopher Bart, a mission statement lets everyone know what you're about, why you exist, and what you're trying to accomplish.
Dave believes the mission statement is so important, each team member is required to memorize it. Everything the company does is rooted in it. If a new idea doesn't fit, it won't be used—even if it has the potential to be profitable. "It establishes a real sense of unity, creates value in every position in the company, and keeps us all with our eye on the same ball," Dave says.
2. Cast Your Vision
Your vision lets your team know where you want your organization to go—it's a word picture of your dreams and how you're going to get there. Once you have it, share it with them often so everyone has their eyes on the same prize. Be sure to celebrate the wins along the way.
3. Don't Hesitate to Delegate
One of the best ways to build a business bigger than you is to delegate. It also shows your team that you trust them, which brings out the best in people. They want to rise to the occasion and stay engaged with their jobs.
4. Tell the Story
As a leader, it's your responsibility to pass on the legacy of your journey from an idea to a full-fledged company. Share your story often, including your hardships, sacrifices, victories and all the times you refused to quit. As Dave says, it lets them know they are part of something that's bigger than them. They're participating in a big deal.
In today's marketplace, companies that are purpose-driven are winning. Your team, your customers and even your vendors want to feel that they and the products and services they purchase have meaning. Lead with purpose, and you'll soon see a change in everyone around you.
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Daniel Tardy
Vice President, EntreLeadership I've found that passion and energy flow directly out of how connected I am to my purpose. There's a lot of places a leader can get away with fake-it-'til-you-make-it when learning something new, but this isn't one of them. We have to make hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions each week. If we're ever lacking in conviction, core values and guiding principles, we'll inevitably buckle under the pressure.
Do you have a clearly defined purpose as your anchor? You're headed for a shipwreck if you don't. A good anchor includes specific values that are written out ahead of time. Why? So when put in a position to make a tough call, the decision has already been made. Author Bill Hybles calls this "advanced decision making." Purpose, mission and core values are not things we can afford to decide on reactively in the heat of battle. So find your purpose and use it as your guide for everything you do. About Daniel
Daniel Tardy has worked with Dave since 2004. He first learned the EntreLeadership principles as part of Dave's in-house leadership course. Ever since then, he has been passionate about helping business leaders accomplish their goals using the same EntreLeadership principles that inspired him. When he's not building the EntreLeadership brand, Daniel enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, participating in triathlons, and reading business books. | | | |
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